Multiple killed in clashes over gold mine in Afghanistan
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Multiple killed in clashes over gold mine in Afghanistan")
Representative Photo Photograph: (AFP (File Photo)
The protests erupted after locals voiced concerns over environmental damage, loss of farmland due to gold mining, and companies not sharing revenue with local communities.
Protests over gold mining in Afghanistan's northeastern province, Takhar, turned violent on Tuesday (Jan 06) after residents set vehicles and equipment belonging to mining companies on fire. At least six people were reportedly killed and several others wounded during clashes. A senior Taliban official confirmed the clashes, saying the violence led to both human and financial losses.
"A clash between employees of a contracted company and residents over the extraction of a gold mine in Chah Ab district of Takhar province has resulted in both human and financial losses," said Humayoun Afghan, the spokesman for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, AFP reported.
The unrest brewed over the Samti gold mine in Chah Ab, a rural district bordering Tajikistan and one of Afghanistan’s major gold deposits, covering about 12 square kilometres. The Taliban signed a five-year contract nearly two years ago with a Chinese firm operating under the name China-Afghanistan and its Afghan partners, with a declared investment value of $310 million.
The protests began on Friday after locals flagged concerns over environmental damage, destruction of farmland and the extraction of the yellow metal without sharing any profits with the community. The protesters assumed charge of several mining operations forcefully from the contractors.
Resources, including copper and lithium, buried across Afghanistan's rocky landscape are estimated to be worth a trillion dollars, according to US and UN assessments from 2010 and 2013.
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The Taliban government has vowed to restore security to the country and is courting Afghan and foreign investors to exploit its underground wealth and secure a crucial revenue stream as foreign aid funding dries up.
